Ain't No Angel (24 page)

His hand covered Laney’s. She stiffened, and her wide eyes gazed up at him. Tyler straightened, and wrapped his fingers more fully around her hand.

“You will tell me how you’ve learned to do all the things you know,” he said slowly, and stepped closer. A loud clasp of lightning illuminated the sky in the distance, followed by the ominous rumble of thunder. Several of the mares scattered around them. Tyler looked up, then back at Laney. “Just as soon as we get back to the ranch.”

He stroked his thumb across her wrist, then cleared his throat. There would be no swimming today, but they still might get drenched if they didn’t get back to the house soon.

Tyler unbuckled the halter from around Rap’s head, and turned the animal loose. The stallion trotted off toward his mares. Now that he looked closely, Tyler did notice a slight drag in the horse’s limb, just as Laney had said. The woman was a downright mystery. How the hell did she know so much about horses, and things he’d never heard of?

“Tyler, look!” Laney’s startled words tore his eyes from the stallion. She pointed off toward the periphery of the herd. Many of the horses had scattered when the thunder rumbled, leaving a clear view of a mare lying on the ground, her swollen abdomen heaving heavily.

“She’s the last mare to foal this season,” he said. What a bad day to have a foal. He glanced again at the darkening sky.

Laney pulled from his grasp, and headed toward the mare. Tyler couldn’t help but smile at his wife. She was doing it again. Always concerned for the horses. He simply stood and watched her cautiously approach the laboring animal. Mares had foals on the range all the time. Hopefully this one would be done before the rain started.

“Tyler,” Laney called over her shoulder. “Come quick.”

Tyler frowned. What the hell was wrong now? He cursed under his breath, and sprinted after Laney. The mare groaned, her belly heaving in a contraction, and clear liquid oozed from her. Tyler dropped to his knees behind the animal, and rolled up his shirt sleeve. He didn’t have to feel far to know what the problem was.

“She’s breeched,” he said quietly, and met Laney’s concerned gaze. “Run and grab the rope from my saddle, Laney. I might need it. ” She nodded and bolted for their saddle horses.

Raindrops pelted his face by the time Laney returned with the lasso. He felt for the foal’s legs, and grabbed hold of the tiny hooves.

“She’s going to make it, right? And the foal?” Laney asked, her eyes full of concern. Raindrops rolled down her face, and she swiped away some strands of hair that clung to her cheeks.

“Do you have any magic up your sleeve for this sort of thing?” Tyler asked, half-joking.

“No,” Laney shook her head. “My experience is with race horses, not with foals and foaling.”

“Just stay by her head, then,” Tyler suggested. “Try and keep her calm. With the next contraction, I’m gonna pull.”

Tyler gritted his teeth. Breech births often didn’t end well. He’d only seen a few. Most of the time, foals were born on the range without a hitch, but a breech birth was much more difficult on the mare, and this one appeared to have been laboring for some time. He shot a quick look toward his wife. Unintentionally, by riding out here this morning, Laney very well might have saved the life of two more of his horses.

The mare’s stomach contracted at that moment. She groaned loudly, and Tyler pulled slowly.

“That’s it, girl, keep pushing,” he murmured. Water ran into his eyes, and he blinked it away, shaking his head. Why the hell had he left his hat with his saddle?

Minutes passed, and Tyler waited for the next contraction. Tiny hooves finally appeared, and he continued his gentle tugs to aid the foal through the birth canal. The mare grunted as she pushed again, and Tyler freed the foal’s hips from the mare’s body. The worst was over. With one final heave and push, the mare expelled her slippery mass.

Tyler’s eyes shot to Laney, who was still kneeling at the mare’s head. Their eyes met and held. His lips twitched in a slow smile, and her face instantly lit up, even through the rain. His gut clenched, and his heart sprang to life at the admiration and wonder in her gaze. 

Chapter 22

Laney led Mariah and the other mare into the barn that housed some of the saddle horses. She swiped some water from her face with her forearm. Even if she had taken Rap into the river to swim, she was sure she wouldn’t be as drenched as she was at the moment. She shivered, and her cotton shirt and denims clung to her uncomfortably like a second skin. She hastily pointed Mariah’s nose to one of the empty stall, then walked the mare into the next box over. Tyler’s mount, Charlie snorted loudly behind her. The gelding was obviously glad to be out of the downpour.

Laney removed the nervous mare’s halter from around her head, and darted out the stall, closing the door. She tossed an armful of hay into the manger in Mariah’s stall, and uncinched the saddle from around her belly. She flung saddle and bridle on the ground in the barn aisle, and rushed to Tyler’s side. He was as drenched as she. Grabbing hold of Charlie’s bridle, she waited for Tyler to dismount the gelding. Their eyes met. Water dripped in a steady stream from his hair and into his face, and she reached up and swiped it away.

“Let’s get this foal to his mama, and see if he’ll nurse,” Tyler said quietly. He pulled the soggy newborn bundle from atop Charlie’s back, and carried it to the stall, where its mother paced and nickered frantically.

“At least she’s eager for her baby,” Laney called over her shoulder, and led Charlie to his own stall. She was anxious to see if the foal was all right. The colt hadn’t stirred after his birth. Tyler had vigorously rubbed the animal with his saddle blanket, but the newborn had failed to stand on his own.

“Let’s get them back to the ranch,” he had shouted over the sounds of the wind and rain, which had started coming down from the sky in sheets. “He’ll never survive this weather.”

Laney had ponied the mare while Tyler rode with the foal across his lap.

Drenched to the bone, Laney’s hands trembled from the cold. She couldn’t feel her fingers anymore, and her lips quivered uncontrollably as she unsaddled Charlie. She threw some hay in the gelding’s stall, then darted back to where the mare was stabled as quickly as her shaky legs would carry her. Tyler placed the colt in the straw next to its mother, which sniffed at the shivering bundle. The little horse struggled to rise to his spindly legs, and fell back into the deep straw with each attempt.

“Is he going to make it?” Laney asked softly. She lit several of the lanterns hanging on the stall posts to give them some light inside the dark barn, then stood just outside the stall with her hands wrapped tightly around her middle.

“He’s trying,” Tyler remarked. With the foal’s next attempt to stand, Tyler supported its body until the little dark horse finally stood on his own. Its legs splayed wide apart, and its entire body quivered. With Tyler’s guidance, the colt took its first tentative steps toward its mother, which continued to nicker at him as she sniffed her newborn.

Tyler guided the baby horse toward the mare’s belly. The foal seemed to know exactly what he needed to do, and eagerly stretched his neck toward its mother’s udder. Laney stood in the doorway to the stall, and marveled at Tyler’s gentleness with the newborn. She stared at him while he cradled the foal. Her heart surged with a love so intense, it almost hurt.

He’d taken immediate charge out in the valley after she alerted him to the laboring mare. Calmly and methodically, he’d aided the horse in the birth, then made a split-second decision to bring mother and baby back to the ranch. He’d set his hat on Laney’s head when they mounted their horses, an action that proved unnecessary. The wind blew the hat off moments later. Neither of them bothered to retrieve it.

Tyler held the little foal protectively across his lap on the way home, shielding the newborn from the pelting rain as best as he could. He was an incredible man, a knowledgeable and sensible horseman, and the kindest guy she’d ever met.

Laney understood fully that he struggled with his nineteenth century views whenever she said or did something that he didn’t understand. To his credit, he allowed her to say what was on her mind, and considered the things she said. It had to be incredibly difficult for him to go against the things he knew, and the way things were done in this time. Why hadn’t he ever told her to mind her place as a woman in this time? She’d observed him banter with his wranglers, but there was never any doubt that he was in charge of his ranch.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder toward Laney at that moment. The wide grin on his face when his eyes met hers melted her insides. Water droplets dripped from his hair and down his face. Adrenaline rushed through her, heating her extremities before settling deep within her. She couldn’t stop from staring. His soaked shirt clung to his upper body, the contour of every hard muscle outlined beneath the fabric. Laney smiled tentatively, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Her body shivered anew, and she hugged herself more firmly.

“Looks like he’s gonna make it. He sure is a little fighter,” Tyler said, and released the foal. He straightened to his full height, and turned toward her. His eyes roamed over her, and lingered on her shirt. A smoldering fire ignited in the dark depths of his gaze. Laney’s mouth went dry. Her clothes must be just as revealing as his.

The smile on Tyler’s face faded, and was quickly replaced with tightly drawn lips. Laney had no chance to wonder at his change in demeanor. In two swift strides, he stood in front of her, and enveloped her in his embrace. 

“You’re freezing cold,” he whispered against her cheek.

Her arms instinctively wrapped around his middle, and her hands hooked over his broad shoulders. She pressed her body to his, welcoming the warmth that seeped from his skin through his own wet clothing.

Laney barely heard his words. Her cheek rested against his firm chest, the beating of his heart pounding in her ears. His solid arms wrapped tighter around her. His hands rubbed at her back. She lifted her head, and stared up at the man who made her knees go weak just by the way he held her in such a protective embrace.

“You were amazing with that mare and foal,” she whispered through chattering teeth. Water continued to drip from his hair onto his face, and down his cheeks. Several stalls away, the munching sounds of content horses chewing their hay was in sharp contrast to the wind howling outside. The eaves creaked above them, and rain pelted the roof.

The dark, penetrating look in Tyler’s eyes as he gazed down at her sent a renewed rush of warmth through her extremities, making her arms and legs feel as pliable as putty. She unhooked one of her hands from his shoulder and reached up, swiping away the water drops from his face. His chest heaved against hers.

Tyler’s arms uncoiled from around her back, and he cupped her face between his hands. Wordlessly, he stared into her eyes. The raw look of longing, desire, and love that reflected in his gaze made breathing difficult. His thumbs swiped at droplets of water that dripped from her wet hair, and he tilted her head more fully up toward his. Slowly, he lowered his face to hers.

Laney closed her eyes. Her mouth parted slightly and her lips tingled in anticipation of his kiss. Her fingers raked through the hair at the nape of his neck, drawing him toward her. Her heart was about to slam through her chest.

When his lips touched hers, a moan escaped her throat, and she leaned more fully up toward him. Light and gentle for the briefest of seconds, Tyler’s lips crushed down on hers, and he claimed her mouth with the same fierce hunger as he’d done that first night. There was no anger in his kiss this time, however. He released her face, and his arms wrapped once again around her back. He yanked her up against him as if he meant to draw her inside himself, and almost lifted her off her feet. Laney coiled both arms tightly around his neck, unwilling to let him ease his kiss. She met his heated onslaught with wild abandon, his name dying in her throat.

Laney couldn’t get close enough to his solid body. She melted against him, every inch of her pressed to some part of him. Tyler’s chest rumbled with a groan, and he adjusted his mouth more firmly over hers. His hands slid up and down the length of her back, scorching her skin with his touch. She was no longer cold. A burning need consumed her from the inside out.

Tyler clamped his hands at her waist, and pulled her even closer to his lower half. He drew his head back slightly. Panting, he kissed her lips again, then along her cheek and down to her neck before he lifted her off her feet. Laney wrapped her legs around his waist, and kept her arms firmly around his neck. She gasped when he buried his head between her breasts, and kissed her damp skin. When had the top buttons on the shirt she wore come undone? Ripples of pleasure raced through her, and she choked out his name.

“Laney,” he rasped, and pulled his head away. He looked up at her, and she smiled down at him.  His labored breaths matched her own. His hold around her waist eased up, and she lowered her legs back to the ground. Her limbs tingled, the sensations of liquid fire racing through her. He wasn’t going to be the noble man again, and stop now, was he?

“You’re gonna catch your death in them wet clothes.” His hoarse voice barely reached her ears.

“Then you’d better keep me warm, cowboy,” she whispered huskily, and clasped his face between her hands. His eyes narrowed for a split second. Before she realized his intent, he bent and reached behind her knees, and lifted her off the ground. He held her firmly to his chest, and carried her across the aisle toward the end of the barn.

“It’s still pouring rain outside,” he whispered against her ear, his breath sending renewed chills of pleasure racing up her spine. “We should wait out the storm in here.”

 “And you thought I’d get wet in the river with Rap.” She giggled nervously. “Not good to stay in these wet clothes, though,” she mumbled.

This is what you want, Laney. To be with him.

Laney stared at him when his grip on her tightened. His step faltered for a second, his eyes roaming over her face. The muscles along his jaw tightened, and his expression was unreadable. Had she said the wrong thing? Been too forward? Maybe she shouldn’t tempt his anger by talking about Rap and swimming.

To her surprise, Tyler chuckled. He bent forward and set her on a thick pile of straw, then leaned over her and kissed her gently on the mouth. His hand cupped her face, his thumb stroked along her cheek. Before she had a chance to respond, he drew back and disappeared from the stall where he’d set her.

“Tyler?” She sat up, ready to jump to her feet and rush after him. Her legs were too shaky to pull herself up to stand. Tears blurred her vision. What had she done wrong? Could she have misread everything that shone in his eyes since this morning? Since last night at the dance, and for weeks prior to that? Was he a saint? No man kissed like that and then walked away.

He’s already done it once before
. Her first night here in the nineteenth century, when she’d acted like a prostitute. In his 1870’s way of thinking, was she acting like a hooker again?

Tyler don’t like whores.
Gabe’s words echoed in her mind.

Laney scrambled to her knees. Her hands rested on her upper thighs, and she dropped her head to her chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Her body trembled from the sudden cold that wrapped itself around her through her wet clothes, and from the icy chill that suddenly flooded her heart.

Before she could stand fully, Tyler reappeared. Relieved, she held her breath. Their eyes met. He clutched a blanket in his hands. Wordlessly, he dropped to his knees in front of her, and wrapped the blanket behind her and around her shoulders. She leaned forward, and Tyler cupped her face between his hands. In the dim lantern light that flickered just outside the stall, she met his smoldering gaze.

“Laney, I love you.”

His deep voice had gone husky as he spoke the words. Laney’s lips parted, and she stared at him. His thumbs stroked her cheeks while his fingers massaged the back of her neck. His words echoed in her mind.

Tyler loved her. Her throat tightened, and she forced air into her lungs. She raked her teeth over her lower lip to prevent a cry of joy. No one had ever spoken those words with more conviction than the way Tyler had uttered them. He loved her. It was right here in front of her, in his eyes, in his touch, in his words.

“Laney?” His forehead furrowed slightly. Uncertainty filled his eyes.